Earn Money Without Losing Quality Time with your Family

Image credit: susivinh of Flickr

A proper work-life balance is essential for all career women. As opposed to common misconception, even mothers who work from home don’t find it so easy to divide their time between taking care of their families and running a business or working freelance. 

Moms who are torn between looking after the children and forging their own careers now have the option to work at home. The Internet has made it possible for them to attend to the needs of their family, while being able to also contribute to the family income and apply their skills and talents.

Through online job marketplaces, it is now possible for anyone, including moms, to work remotely and make a living without having to report for work on a daily basis. The same goes for entrepreneurial mothers, who can now easily set up online businesses or find other ways to earn online.

Benefits of Being a Work-At-Home Mom

The most obvious benefit of being a work-at-home mom (WAHM) is being able to work on a flexible schedule, which allows them to tend to their kids anytime they need help, such as when the kids get sick or need assistance with their homework. There are many successful WAHMs who have discovered that they could actually earn the same paycheck as when they work a full-time job, without actually having to work through a full eight-hour workday.

Another possible advantage for WAHMs is that they can manage their own business without having to leave home. Nowadays, we see a lot of mothers selling products through Facebook or online channels a variety of products such as cupcakes, clothes, perfumes, and other items. Setting up an online store is easier than ever. Setting up an online payment system has also become a simple process.

And with a variety of online payment and credit card options available in the Philippines, customers can now pay for the products online using their credit cards and debit cards. They don’t need to go to the bank to deposit payment for purchases.

Mothers who work at home also have the advantage of incurring minimal expenses. They save on public transportation or gas. They don’t need spend a lot of money on expensive restaurants or fast food takeout—unlike when they work in an actual office. WAHMs also save on grooming and clothing costs because they don’t need to buy make-up, perfume, accessories, and clothes as often.  

Apart from the expenses, moms who work at home can also enjoy a less stressful working environment. But only if they manage their time really well. Without a boss or a supervisor to keep you on your toes, working from home comes with the tendency to slack off or to get distracted. To be able to enjoy all the advantages, working from home requires a lot of self-discipline, focus, and time management skills.

Balancing Work and Family

For work-at-home mothers (WAHMs) who want to continue earning money at home but who also want to spend quality time with their loved ones, here are some helpful suggestions:

1. Devote weekends to family. WAHMs sometimes have a tendency to think that every hour they do not spend working amounts to money lost. As a result, they even work on weekends. This is definitely a bad idea. You need to give yourself a break and make a decision to devote Saturdays and Sundays to resting and spending time with your family—nothing else. Work hard during weekdays and enjoy weekends with your family.

2. Stick to a fixed working schedule. While flexibility is a great advantage to working from home, be careful not to make it too flexible that you end up not accomplishing anything, as a result of jumping from one task to another. Even if you work from home, you still need to follow some sort of schedule, which you would have to “design” around your family members’ habits and respective schedules.

Some factors to consider in creating your own schedule may include your baby’s sleeping habits, what time the older kids get home from school, your spouse’s schedule, and others. Set a fixed number of working hours for yourself when you are least likely to be disturbed.

3. Don’t let distractions get to you. Once you’ve set a schedule for working and a schedule for your family, follow it strictly. Don’t let phone calls, e-mails, or other things distract you from whatever it is you are doing at the moment—whether it is family time or working time.

4. Maximize your time. Sometimes, all we need is a little resourcefulness to make the most out of our time. Search the internet for life hacks that can help you save time when doing household chores. Saving time on chores and at work can mean more quality time to spend with your kids.

As you can see, your quality time with your family need not be compromised with work concerns. Strike a healthy balance between work and home life by following the tips mentioned above.   

This is a guest post from Ryan Del Villar, a writer for Money Max, Philippines’ leading online comparison portal and a Philippine market news provider. Ryan is also a freelance writer at Helm Word, an Online Reputation Management company. He worked as an online video editor before he started his writing career.